Illegal Roadside Vehicle Repair Shops Pose Safety Hazard to Kids and Adults

Illegal Roadside Vehicle Repair Shops Pose Safety Hazard to Kids and Adults

Illegal Roadside Vehicle Repair Shops Pose Safety Hazard to Kids and Adults- and One such shop located adjacent to a school wall which is creating inconveniences to the school children was brought to the notice of Team Mangalorean by the management of Mount Carmel Central School- Mary Hill- Mangaluru

Mangaluru: It’s nice to note that Mangaluru City Corporation officials under the direction of Mayor Kavitha Sanil is doing one heckuva job by raiding shops for not having trade licences, cracking down of illegal street vendors, busting illegal activities going on at Massage Parlours etc etc- but one thing that they have turned a blind eye are the illegal roadside vehicle repair shops, which create lots of inconveniences and safety hazards to the pedestrians, especially school going children. From time to time we hear MCC officials promises to improve the city, and media reports that an effort is to be made to improve footpaths (sidewalks, pavements) to benefit pedestrian movement. But there has been hardly any evidence on the ground of results from either initiative.

Any such initiative needs commitment and a well-prepared approach to deal with the large variety of encroachments and misuses that have been allowed to develop. A well-formulated policy is needed to underpin the approach, and commit manpower and resources. The approach has to start with a list of the types of encroachment. Quick-fix solutions are not available for many of these. Staff entrusted with the mission will find it impossible to deal with many of the important types of encroachment without well thought out rules and the support of the bureaucracy, the political establishment and local communities. Otherwise any effort will deteriorate into a cosmetic effort that leaves the underlying sores untreated.

With no intention of directly hurting the livelihood of the person who has set up a petty vehicle repair shop very adjacent to the school wall, the management and also a few concerned parents have brought to the notice of Team Mangalorean stating that – even in spite of many complaints in the past and present to the MCC Mayors, local area corporators, and other district authorities about the safety concerns caused by this two-wheeler repair shop towards the school children and also their parents, until now no one has taken any action. Also the area around the garage is filled with filth, including liquor bottles- which raises more concerns, as to what’s going there. The school management and parents would appreciate if the concerned authorities, including MCC, look into this issue and find a permanent solution.

Apart from this auto repair shop near MCCS vicinity, if you go around the city you will find bunch of such auto repair shops, getting vehicles repaired right on the footpath or on the pedestrian walkway. They will have a small shop for name’s sake, but all the repair work is done on MCC property. If MCC is charging other shop owners all kinds of taxes, why not charge these illegal petty shops or vacate them. That would be a good idea! Such encroachment by vehicles on pavements in front of establishments providing repair or installation services to two and four wheelers is causing nuisance to the public. It is not only that passage is inhibited, but it is also made hazardous by oil patches, nails etc. Most of these auto garages are located very close to the road, and have hardly enough place inside their shops to work on vehicles- so all the repair work is done on the footpaths or streets. Has the MCC noticed this- if they did, nothing much has been done. This is the most blatant example of public space being despoiled for private gain.

Apart from increasing “Hawkers” occupying part or whole of the width of the pavement, now we can see a bunch of ” Vehicle Repair Shops ” set up on the footpaths serving the motorists needs. This is likely to be the first type of encroachment to be tackled, often by strong-arm methods. In many cases, the hawkers have become long-established features of the locality, and are well patronised by the local community and/or visitors who find the services convenient. But the nuisance effects begin to dominate, especially when more hawkers come to exploit the situation, and action needs to be taken to eliminate or regulate the activities. What should be done? Eliminate the encroachments completely? Or allow them in a regulated manner? And if the latter, what rules need to be followed in order not to give room for accusations of discriminatory action, collusion or corruption?

There can be no compromise on this type, even though it may be claimed as a desirable service. Pavements are for people only, not for vehicles. The offending parties may be given time, say one year, to make alternative arrangements for the services component. The establishment may continue as a sales outlet. In most cases the parties will have made profit for many years while using public space as their own, so there will not be any injustice in requiring them to move. Monthly rentals climbing steeply every three months or so can be levied, giving an incentive to early vacation of the encroachment. In addition, the establishment should be required to repair the pavement to proper standards.

Establishments such as the above abound in smaller streets that have no pedestrian pavements or identifiable walkways. These occur in residential localities, and many have been allowed to operate with impunity for years. They create great hazards to pedestrians, and need to be removed. But that will not be easy, because the owners are likely to be residents of the locality, and might have acquired ‘muscle’ – social, economic and physical – over time. These will be hard nuts to crack. The rate of vehicle ownership is rising rapidly, so a good percentage of the local residents may be making use of these establishments.

But as localities get more crowded (building permits are being given with very little thought to the services that will be demanded), the need for these services will increase, and at the same time the space available will become less. Therefore there is urgent need to develop a policy for designation of areas where services can relocate. Ultimately, no establishment should be allowed to come up that will need to encroach on public space to provide its services, or that will create pressure on space that will be required for easy movement of people and vehicles, and the regular needs of the local residents, particularly parking.